Gravitas
by Insaneauthor050701
Summary: Skye isn't alone in the world. She has a brother; one who adores her for all she is. But this character brings with him a lot of secrets and problems that won't be easy to deal with. But in the end Skye now has someone who will be with her always. No Pairings decided. Starts S2E5. OP OC.
1. What comes up

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Agents of Shield or Marvel.**_

 **Gravitas**

 **What comes up...**

Coulson winced at the timer. 20 seconds. If they didn't give Skye to Raina, Simmons would be compromised. They couldn't afford that. Even if Agent Morse was there to get Simmons out, them being undercover would keep them that one step ahead of Hydra. 15 seconds.

If they let Raina take Skye they could potentially bag Raina, Skye's father, and the Obelisk by tracking them. Even if Raina took Skye, what was she gonna do? She had no combat training and was even smaller than Skye. After May's training there were few agents with the experience to go against her.

Raina cleared her throat and swallowed hard to regain her composure. The swest beading at her forehead betrayed her. "W-Well Coulson, you have ten seconds to bring me Skye, or poor Agent Simmons will be exposed and killed by Hydra."

Coulson sighed. May was going to kill him.

"Okay, we'll take the deal." He held a hand up to his earpiece. "May, let her in."

 _"We're going to have words after this Coulson."_

Coulson grimaced. "I look forward to it."

Skye walked up giving a glare to Raina. "Raina."

Raina smiled and stood. "Skye, your father is very eager to see you."

She smugly winked at Coulson. "Well Coulson, I hate to run off on you but I need to deliver Skye and the Obelisk."

Coulson stayed silent but nodded at Skye.

Raina grabbed Skye's arm and pulled her outside.

* * *

"What the hell Coulson?!" May stormed from the kitchen. Hunter pulled up a chair to Coulson's table. "Yeah I rather like Skye, why'd you turn her out like that?"

"Skye can handle herself, you've trained her well. We can use this situation to our advantage, get our hands on the Obelisk, Skye's father, and Raina. We can track Skye by her phone, Hunter get Mack or Fitz on that back at base. May I need you to track them on foot. Stay out of site."

"Aye aye Cap'n." Hunter mock saluted and dialed up Mack. May glared at Coulson and nodded. Marching out of the restaurant.

"Waiter!" Coulson waved his hand. "I'll have the check please!"

May fast-walked out of the restaurant. They had driven up in a Shield vehicle but that was parked around back. Raina had parked up the street so it would take them a minute or two walking there. Just enough to hot-wire a car. There were several cars parked along the street. She chose a small black coupe with tinted windows. A Nissan Altima if memory served her right. Shame she had to ruin it. She smashed the window in with her elbow then ran the leather of her sleeve over the sill wiping the rest of the glass off. May reached through the window and hit the unlock button. She opened the door and wiped the seat clear careful not to sit on any glass. She leaned down and yanked the steering column open.

Hot-wiring the car was easy enough and she had it running in under a minute. May drove into the road headed down the street. There they were. Raina and Skye had just got in. May was careful to drive slowly and keep her face away from the window facing them so as to not tip off Raina. She pulled a U-turn at the end of the block. She was 50 yards from them and was careful not to come too close. It was getting a little hard to see as the sun went down but for now, the streetlights illuminated their car's path.

Raina's car took a right turn and pulled out of sight. "Coulson, I think that Skye's father is local. Raina isn't headed towards the highway, she's actually headed to the inner city."

 _"Good work May, keep an eye on them."_

"I'll keep you posted."

May followed after them and turned the corner. "Fuck!"

 _"What happened?!"_

"I'm not sure, but Raina's was dumped in the street and the car took off with Skye in it."

 _"Did Skye do it?"_

"Not sure, give me a minute."

May pulled up next to Raina who was pulling herself off the pavement.

"What happened?!"

Raina wiped the dirt off her arms. "Some guy just stopped the car and pulled me out! He got in and drove away with Skye!"

May growled. "Coulson somebody took her! I'm in pursuit!"

 _"No need May. Either Skye took the car from this man, or he's taking her back. Mack says her phone puts her on track with the restaurant. She's headed this way."_

"What should I do with Raina?"

 _"Leave her. We don't need her and I already have confirmation that Simmons and Agent Morse are clear. Once they finish up, they'll be back with us."_

"You know we're gonna lose Hunter if she comes back."

 _"I know. But we knew he was gonna leave at some point. He's a mercenary May; and I have no need for soldiers not dedicated to the cause."_

"I'll be back in a minute."

May gunned it puling a U-turn around Raina. "Where are you going?! You can't leave me! I'll expose Simmons!"

"Go ahead." May stared at her. "She's no longer in any danger."

* * *

Skye sighed and tugged her arm free. Raina and Skye had never gotten along. Probably because of her involvement in Centipede, Hydra, or threatening Simmons. Any of them could be a reasonable excuse for her to dislike Raina. Both of them walked out and Skye silently followed Raina to her car. A short walk down the sidewalk later, they found a red Maserati waiting at the end of the street. Skye's eyes widened at the stupidly expensive vehicle. Raina smiled as she unlocked it and slid in. "It's nice I know. My newest boy toy has a collection." The Maserati purred to life as she pressed the ignition button. Raina drove out into the road and down the street.

Skye folded her arms. "So where are we going?"

Raina took a right turn into a smaller street.

"Oh somewhere near, not too far. What? Did you think I chose the restaurant for its food?"

 ** _Clack_**

"What is that?!" A small round metal device had come out of nowhere and seemingly magnetically attached itself to the hood of the car.

A small light on it blinked green and then red rapidly.

 ** _Whump_**

The car shuddered as the life seemed to be sucked out of it. The displays shut off and the engine stopped. The car quickly stopped.

There was a long silence as they both tried to make sense of what happened. Raina broke the silence and shrieked in fear.

"What the hell just happened?!"

Raina looked on the verge of tears and repeatedly turned the key desperately trying to start the car. The driver's side door was wrenched open and Raina was grabbed.

"AAAAH!" Raina screamed fearfully. "Please no! I'm getting the Obelisk!" The figure grunted and ripped her out of the car dumping her on the pavement.

The figure then got in the car with Skye who was attempting to open the locked passenger door.

She looked fearfully to the attacker. "What do you want with me? You've got Raina!"

The man closed the door. "For you **not** to meet Dad right now."

* * *

Alex had to admit he was slightly nervous. He'd seen his sister before but this would be their first official meeting. He had gone over several plans with himself beforehand. But really there weren't many that would not endanger their relationship. He needed her to trust him. He needed her to be able to trust that he would keep her safe.

It's not enough to just protect her. To be able to bring his family back together he needed her to trust him and his plan, to be able to have a relationship with their parents. God knows he's gonna have to do a lot of convincing to get those two monsters to reconcile.

"What do you mean?! Who are you?"

Alex sighed. "Dad, is sick right now. He's trying to get better but there's one cure that's just out of reach right now. I came, so you don't have such a bad first impression."

Skye looked at him eyes widened. "... What do you mean Dad? Why are you calling him dad?"

"I'm sorry, I should've explained that first. I'm your brother. Older brother actually. Same skin tone, but I have dark hair and I just got a bit more Dad in me than you do based on height."

Skye just stared at him.

"I-I'm sorry I'm nervous. I'm not usually like this, people and friends are easy but family? Family's hard. You're supposed to trust family and protect them and I promise I'm trying to do that."

Skye narrowed her eyes at him. "You're joking right? I was the only one found at the Hunan Province. Who are you really?"

"I'm not lying. We can do a DNA test and everything, just not here."

"Where are we going?" Skye changed the subject. She just couldn't process this right now.

Alex looked over realizing what she was doing but went along with it. "We're going to a safe house where I can explain everything to you. I also want to know some things as well. I've been watching you and your team for a while. Don't worry I only did it for a week or two."

"No."

Alex looked at her. "What do you mean no?"

Skye looked at him with steel in her eyes. "No. If you want to protect me, bring me back. If you've been watching, you would know that my team is like my family!"

Alex grimaced. "If you are my real family. You need to trust me and take me back. We can talk there."

Alex kept silent looking only at the road. He sighed and yanked on the wheel pulling a U-turn back towards the restaurant.

"Thank you..." Skye nodded but seemed to be unsure as to what to call him.

"Alex, my name's Alex."

* * *

 _The next day. -The Playground_

Alex groaned shook his head waking up. He sighed realizing where he was. _This better not take too long. Though I suppose after everything they've been through there's no easy way to make them trust me._

He was strapped to a chair with a black bag over his head. They took his gun, his knife, and his phone.

Alex smiled lightly as the bag was taken off his face.

"Thank you Agent Coulson. Sorry, I meant Director."

Coulson marched to the other side of the table and sat down. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Skye can't find anything on you so we can only get information through you. But don't worry, the lie detector we have hooked up to your chair will pick up anything false. Any lies, and you get dumped somewhere nasty."

Alex smiled. "I like you. Blunt and to the point. Very charismatic."

Coulson smiled. "First question. Who are you?"

"My full name is Alexander Zhongli Johnson. I am 28 years old. I am an ex-Seal, ex-Strike, ex-Blackwatch, and I've done a whole lot of other work in the private sector. I am a doctor, an engineer, and a pilot."

"Wow. Geez that's a lot. Any Nobel Peace Prizes to your name?"

Alex laughed. "Not yet but if I get one I'll be sure to put it on my resume."

"Anything else vital?"

Alex shrugged. "I'm Skye's brother."

Coulson deadpanned. "You're gonna have to explain that one."

"Long story short, Dad found me while Shield found Skye. I was raised in the system cause my Dad was unable to care for me but you know it wasn't all bad."

Coulson nodded. "Ok, tell me how you were monitoring us and for how long."

"Oh not that long, I found your base when there was all that ruckus with Carl Creel. After that I was able to sneak cameras in when one of your guys ordered pizza. I had some microbots laying around and I was surprisingly able to piggyback off your service to get live feed. I only did surveillance cause I wanted to learn about you all. I had to make sure my baby sister was running with the right crowd. You're all pretty much good but I'm really blown away by you Coulson."

Coulson tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"No seriously, you're amazing. I haven't seen someone this righteous since I fought Captain America."

"You fought Captain America?"

"Well, it was business. And really it only took like 5 seconds before he put my ass in the dirt."

Coulson smiled. "Okay, last question. Why are you here?"

"Skye. She's my baby sister and I need to protect her. Even if it's from her family. I took her because Dad wasn't ready to see her. He might think he is but he's not. He won't be for a while. He's broken Coulson. And until he heals, I can't let Skye see him. I need him to be better if I want to put my family back together."

* * *

 _The Lounge- at the start of interrogation_

"So is this guy really your brother?" Trip broke the silence. They all had eyes for the tv and live interrogation.

"He says he is, and the DNA reuslts came in postive too. I-I wanna trust him. I just don't..."

"You don't wanna be let down." Hunter finished for her. "I know the feeling. I would say go halfway. Be friendly and get close but keep your guard up. If he's ever hesitant on a certain subject, push until he breaks."

"Says the guy who's divorced; try not to advise her into breaking up relationships." Mack chipped in.

"Well at least I have advice. I don't see you blokes helping." Hunter retorted.

"Quiet, he's starting."

 _"Thank you Agent Coulson. Sorry, I meant Director."_

 _Coulson marched to the other side of the table and sat down. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Skye can't find anything on you so we can only get information through you. But don't worry the lie detector we have hooked up to your chair will pick up anything false. Any lies, and you walk."_

 _Alex smiled. "I like you. Blunt and to the point. Very charismatic."_

 _Coulson smiled. "First question. Who are you?"_

 _"My full name is Alexander Zhongli Johnson. I am 28 years old. I am an ex-Seal, ex-Strike, ex-Blackwatch, and I've done a whole lot of other work in the private sector. I am a doctor, an engineer, and a pilot."_

"Damn, this guy has been around a lot; that bigger than your resume Hunter?" Trip smirked.

"Bigger than ours together. Bloody Hell, Skye your brother's John Wick!"

 _"Wow. Geez that's a lot. Any Nobel Peace Prizes to your name?"_

 _Alex laughed. "Not yet but if I get one I'll be sure to put it on my resume."_

 _"Anything else vital?"_

 _Alex shrugged. "I'm Skye's brother."_

 _Coulson deadpanned. "You're gonna have to explain that one."_

 _"Long story short, Dad found me while Shield found Skye. I was raised in the system cause my Dad was unable to care for me but you know it wasn't all bad."_

"Guess you guys have some things in common." Trip said.

 _Coulson nodded. "Ok, tell me_ _how_ _you were monitoring us and for how long."_

 _"Oh not that long, I found your base when there was all that ruckus with Creel. After that I was abke to sneak cameras in when one of your guys ordered pizza."_

They all looked at Hunter. He nervously folded his arms. "Oh fuck off. I don't know about you super spys but us normal people have to eat to survive. God knows the rubbish you have here isn't food."

May rolled her eyes at Hunter's antics.

"Fitz, can we find his cameras?" Mack said to Fitz. Fitz looked at him and off to the side. "Uhhh I umm... Yes but Skye can find them... more." He scratched his head trying to focus. " Better than I can, she can hack into their feeds if they're tapped into the wi-fi."

"I don't know if I can do much of anything right now." Skye slammed her hand on the counter. "I can't even hack into this guy's phone. The level of encryption on this is insane."

 _"I had some microbots laying around and I was surprisingly able to piggyback off your service to get live feed. I only did surveillance cause I wanted to learn about you all. I had to make sure my baby sister was running with the right crowd. You're all pretty much good but I'm really blown away by you Coulson."_

 _Coulson tilted his head. "What do you mean?"_

 _"No seriously, you're amazing. I haven't seen someone this righteous since I fought Captain America."_

"Did we hear that right?" Trip pointed to the screen. "He fought Captain America?!" Skye shrugged. "I guess so. There wasn't a lie registered so it was the truth."

"That's so badass."

 _"You fought Captain America?"_

 _"Well, it was business. And really it only took like 5 seconds before he put my ass in the dirt."_

 _Coulson smiled. "Okay, last question. Why are you here?"_

 _"Skye. She's my baby sister and I need to protect her. Even of it's from her family. I took her because Dad wasn't ready. He won't be for a while. You see something broke him. And until he heals, I can"t let Skye see him. I need him to be better if I want to put my family back together."_

"He doesn't seem that bad Skye. He seems like he actually came here with good intentions."

Skye was silent. She didn't dare to hope that it was true. That she wasn't alone anymore and that her brother wanted to protect her.

* * *

"Hey guys. This is Alex, he'll be joining us for a while now so please help him adjust. I'm sure you guys have things in common so go crazy. No missions for a day or two." Coulson moved Alex to the Lounge where he introduced him to everyone.

"Alex. You'll have certain restrictions until I decide otherwise. Until then you'll go on missions like the rest of us. You'll need to wear this and you also get a lanyard. Talk to Billy for that."

Coulson handed him a metal wristband. "This will monitor, well pretty much everything."

"Am I good to go Director?" He looked over at Skye. She would need a detailed explanation.

Coulson sighed looking at him and Skye. "Go."

Alex smiled and then walked towards Skye but was confronted by Mack. "Hey man, I'm Mack. I help around with pretty much everything but I mostly do engineering. Can you help us out and tell us where your cameras are and take them down? I'm sure everybody will calm down a bit more when we're not being watched."

Alex blinked. "Uhh yeah sure. I just need my phone."

Skye unplugged his phone from her laptop and got up walking towards him. She held it out. "Here, I couldn't get into it anyways."

Alex smirked. "Don't worry," he shook the phone. "I'll show you all my tricks in time."

Alex easily unlocked his phone and jabbed at it recalling the microbots.

"They should be on their way now" As soon as he finished his sentence there was a _plink_ as a small metal object fell to the ground. It was a small metallic spider with 3 pairs of legs.

It quickly crawled over to Alex who leaned down and picked it up. The spider's legs closed in on itself creating a metal sphere. Alex then easily pocketed the sphere.

Mack picked up another incoming spider examining it. "How do you power these things?" The legs of the spider flailed trying to get free.

Alex held his hand out and Mack gave him the spider. "Their internal battery only lasts about an hour. I've had them tapping power sources to keep them alive, stuff like open outlets, laptops or phones."

Hunter snapped and pointed at Alex who looked at him confused. "I knew there wasn't anything wrong with my cord! Your bloody spiders were draining my phone!"

Alex shrugged. "Sorry, it's nothing personal."

Another spider came through the doorway and on its way to Alex crawled over May's boot. May glared at Alex and stomped on it, crushing the microbot.

May then stalked away, obviously not feeling very welcoming.

Hunter chuckled. "Don't worry about it mate, she doesn't trust easily." He walked up to Alex and shook his hand. "I'm Hunter."

"Nice to meet you. It's fine by the way. I understand."

Mack walked away taking Fitz by the arm who didn't resist. "C'mon Fitz, Hunter. Let's leave these guys to catch up."

Trip followed closely. "I know when I'm not wanted. Don't have too much fun without me ya'll."

They were silent until the others left.

"So tell me about yourself." Skye walked to the liquor counter. Did he like alcohol? Maybe he didn't drink or something. She didn't know anything about him an frankly, it was making her nervous.

"Uum d-do you want something to drink? I know I'm gonna need something to calm my nerves."

Alex slid up next to her. "I would love one. How about I tell you something, you tell me something."

Skye shrugged. "Sure. What's Dad like?"

They both sat down on the couch. Alex winced. "Ooh going for the hard questions already huh?"

Skye panicked a bit internally. "W-Well you don-t-"

"No it's fine. You need to know about him."

Alex took a big swig of his glass preparing himself. "He's very scatterbrained. Forgets things a lot. He's a good cook. He likes sports, his favorite is basketball. He's a surgeon. A good one, he used to run a clinic in China. Most of the time he didn't even charge anything to fix someone up. He was just good like that."

"Wow. T-That's... really different from what I've heard. He sounds like a good person when you describe him."

Alex took another drink. "There's two sides to every story Skye. You would do well to remember that. That being said, he does have a dark side. He gets very emotional which can lead to violence."

There was a long silence until Skye realized he wouldn't elaborate. He decided to change the subject to something a bit more friendly.

"So what was it like for you, growing up in the system?"

"At first?" She turned to Alex. "I hated it. But a while ago I realised something..."

* * *

 _Hours after..._

Coulson whistled a tune to himself as he entered the Lounge. "Shhh." Coulson turned his attention to the couch. Alex laid there with Skye on top of him. She was wrapped around him and in a deep sleep indicated by the empty glasses on the table. Alex shifted a bit. Skye was dwarfed by Alex's easily 6 foot frame.

"Wow, she usually doesn't let people in that quick."

"I'm family Coulson. We're supposed to be close. Besides, I have stories about her as a baby." He brushed the hair off her face. "Pictures too."

Coulson walked over to them and sat on the table. "Listen, Alex. Skye doesn't let people in a lot. But when she does she fights for them with everything."

His voice darkened and he clenched his fists involuntarily. "If you do anything to hurt her or do anything to put her in harm's way, I swear I will-"

"I get it Coulson. I'm really glad to know you care about her. Now you listen. I will never **never** hurt Skye. If I had to choose between the world and Skye, the world would burn every time."

Coulson nodded. "I think I understand you a bit more now." He stood and left.

Once more left alone, Alex ran a hand down Skye's cheek. "Oh Daisy... I can't wait till you transform. It can be terrifying but don't worry, I'll be there for you."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _ **Much like most of my stories this one wasn't planned. But I guess that's how inspiration works. I'm still very gray on this story. I'm not sure if I want to tie it to other stories in the future, or make it a stand-alone. This story centers on Alex and Skye for the moment. No pairings are set I really have an open mind for this story right now. Most of the story will follow the events of the show, but no promises.**_

 _ **-InsaneAuthor050701**_


	2. A Reason For Monsters

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Marvel or Agents of Shield.**_

 **A Reason for Monsters**

 _Flashback 1_ _989 - Hunan Province, China._

"W-Where did you leave them Cal?" Jiaying asked shaking under the raggedy blanket that Calvin had given her.

It had only been 2 months since Cal had stitched her back together. She was still suffering from wounds left behind from him and Cal's stitching and her powers were barely keeping her together. While they both hated him for what he did, they had a family to find. If he knew they had children... he would put them through the same procedure she had been through.

Cal had stolen an old Jeep to even get them this far. She could scarcely believe it. Her gentle, caring husband the volunteer doctor commiting grand theft auto.

It didn't matter, none of it would. The end justified the means. Once they had Daisy and Alex, they would go into hiding. Her home village in the mountains would welcome them with open arms.

"I left Daisy with the clinic's daycare center so Yu Yan or Mo Chou should have her. I left Alex with the Davids." Cal leaned his head against the wheel, his overgrown locks lain against it. "I thought if whoever took you knew about your powers then they might try to take the kids. I thought maybe they would be safer if they were in seperate places."

Cal got out of the Jeep and helped her out. She could barely walk with the energy she had. It would take a long time for that to replenish... though if she didn't want to wait she could always... Jiaying looked darkly at a villager passing by.

No. She couldn't. She wasn't that far gone.

Cal helped her hobble into their house. There it all was. Strangely and terrifyingly the same. As if nothing had changed.

Unbiddingly one of her hands strayed towards her face feeling the rough stitching holding it together. She knew better.

Everything had changed.

Cal picked her up and laid her on the couch. He handed her an open bottle of water. "Drink. I'll be back in a few with takeout." He smirked a bit at an inside joke.

Jiaying scowled. "Takeout? What the hell Cal? We need to go see our babies!"

Cal sobered up. "You'll see what I mean. Trust me Jiaying." He left their home making it, and Jiaying feel more empty than ever.

She wondered if her little Alex would even recognize her. He would probably poke at the scars and tug at the stitches. He always was a perpetually unperturbed baby. Daisy would be 10 months old now. She had only been there for half of those.

"If I ever get my hands on Reinhardt..." Jiaying stewed in her hatred. Over her long life there were few things that made her feel emotion this strong.

She hoped the elders wouldn't mind her bringing her family when returning. It was the only way they could be safe. She supposed she couid retake her position in guiding the newly transformed but... not for a while. Daisy was still an infant.

The door slammed open. "Honey I'm home!"

Jiaying sighed. Cal's humor had only gotten worse when he stitched her up. That was his way of coping with things apparently.

Cal came into the living room. "Sorry I was late. This little guy was fast." He held in his arms a small dog. She couldn't remember whose it was, one of the neighbors maybe.

"You want me to absorb that?"

Cal nodded. "Yeah. I mean it's not traditional Chinese food but I'm sure it'll be fine." He smirked.

Jiaying sighed and held out her hands. Cal put the dog in her arms as she embraced it. The dog was strangely quiet and seemed to still to the utmost degree as if waiting for her.

She stroked its head and closed her eyes.

The dog's breathing and frantic heartbeat stopped. At the same time a wave of energy moved through Jiaying revitalizing her.

Jiaying stood and cast aside the dog's corpse. Her hear pounded as the new energy flooded her system making her feel slightly giddy. She clutched at Cal's button down shirt and pulled him into her desperately kissing him.

Cal waved his arms around a bit as he was taken off guard. He quite rapidly responded in kind, embracing her and deepening the kiss.

Jiaying broke it off and stepped back holding Cal's arms. "Thank you. We need to go get our children now."

"Yeah sure." Cal quickly retreated into his office grabbing something from a cupboard.

"What's that?" Jiaying asked curiously.

"Nothing hon. Let's just get this train moving. We have children to go see."

They both went outside and rushed to their clinic.

Stepping inside they immediately saw Yu Yan at the check-in desk.

"Yu Yan!" Jiaying exclaimed. "Where's Daisy?" Yu Yan looked up from her desk and gasped. "Jiaying? Where have you been?"

"Where is Daisy Yu Yan?"

Yu Yan expression shifted from being excited by their appearance to being closed off. She reached down and to their collective surprise brandished a gun at them.

"Yu Yan?!" Jiaying exclaimed. They hadn't been close before but they were co-workers! Why would she pull a gun on them?!

Yu Yan pulled out a handheld radio speaking into it. "I've got them. They came back for the girl."

Jiaying realized everything at once and trembled with rage. She wanted to keep them from Daisy. No one kept her from her little girl.

Jiaying shrieked and lunged across the table knocking the gun from Yu Yan's hands. Jiaying's hands closed around Yu Yan's throat and squeezed. She wasn't strong enough to choke her out but that's where her power came in.

Jiaying let her rage take her as Yu Yan's lifeforce flowed into her. It felt so good. Much better than that dog. And she deserved it and more for betraying them.

Finally Jiaying let Yu Yan's body go and her corpse slumped back into her chair.

Cal and Jiaying heard a scream from behind them. It was Mo Chou. She would know where Daisy is. Chou started to run but there was a deafening bang as Cal shot the gun he snatched from Yu Yan. Miraculously, he actually hit her leg sending her to the ground.

Quickly, Cal and Jiaying went to her and Cal held her up for Jiaying to question.

Jiaying held a hand to her bullet wound and pressed as Mo Chou howled. "Tell me! Where's Daisy?!" What if they took her? What if they were doing what they did to her to Daisy?

Mo Chou broke down and wailed. "I don't know! A woman came and took her a while ago. She said she would take care of her and we didn't think you would come back!"

"Well, I'm back." Jiaying gripped Mo Chou's leg causing her pain but also draining her lifeforce.

"We're back." Cal corrected snapping her neck. "We need to move Jiaying. Who knows how many men are out there."

Jiaying and Cal quickly made there way out of the clinic and into the village.

Jiaying crouched as bullets rained over them. There were 5 men all villagers who were undercover like Yu Yan. Cal pulled Jiaying behind the cover of another building.

Cal trembled in rage as he considered rheir situation. Jiaying placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay Cal, we'll get out of this."

Cal glared at her, his eyes unfocused. "No! No it's not okay! They took our daughter Jiaying! None of them will live! None of them!"

He pushed Jiaying away and reached into his pocket unveiling a syringe with a green formula.

"What is that?" Jiaying fearfully asked.

"A cocktail of body enhancements. This will get us out of here." Jiaying grabbed his hand with the syringe. "You don't need to do this. We can find another way."

Cal smiled gently. He ran a hand gently down her face. "Jiaying. We can't reunite our family if we're dead. Even if I'm affected permanently, you need to be there to put our family back together." He brought her down closer to the ground crouching with her.

"Put your hands over your ears and just stay here. It'll all be over soon." He ignored the pleading look on her face and stood back up. He took the syringe and lined it up. He gave one last smile to Jiaying. "See you later aligator."

Jiaying smiled through her tears. "In a while crocadile."

He plunged the needle into himself.

As soon as the serum shot into his veins it took affect.

"Gh! Gah!" Cal shook and hunched over in pain. His body trembled and his hands clutched at his arms.

Jiaying watched in horror and fascination at the transformation.

Cal grew in height and his musculature transformed itself into something befitting an athlete in peak condition.

His hair grew ragged and his jacket sleeves ripped away revealing pulsing veined arms.

Cal growled and stood up, albeit slightly hunched over. He looked down at Jiaying who fearfully averted her eyes. Cal grunted and moved quickly around the corner.

Jiaying held her hands over her ears and closed her eyes. She knew what Cal would do. She understood that it had to be done and part of her relished that. Even with all that Whitehall had done to her Jiaying still felt part of her screaming against what they were doing, the doctor in her, the-

"Raaah!" Jiaying heard Cal's guttural roar of pain.

That's when it changed for her. The world had taken everything from her. She was seperated from everyone at birth. She was different she was Inhuman. That wasn't so bad though. It was her ability that made things hard for her. She could technically live forever with her ability. Others had been so jealous but she just wanted it gone. Yet each time she started to age, another elder would make her kill them so she could survive.

Eventually she was alone; all her family dead from time.

Then she met Cal. He was so bold and energetic. Cal got her swept up in love and she was able to see the beauty in life. Cal knew she was different but he didn't care. He always said that when he was gone she could just tell their grandkids about him and how he saved so many lives as a doctor. It was that or she could read his lame jokes off to them.

Point is, Cal made life for Jiaying worth living. Now life had taken everything from her. Her body, her children, and now her husband. Well it was time Jiaying took back.

She turned the corner.

Cal had torn through three of the gunmen but while he killed the third the other two shot at him and wounded him.

Cal used the nearest corpse as a shield from the hailstorm of bullets that came at him which would give him a few precious seconds. Jiaying hurdled towards the closest gunman and emptied her gun in his direction. He dropped to the floor to get some cover and the other gunman turned back to see what happened. He shot at Jiaying scoring a hit on her shoulder. Cal used the gunman's distraction to get closer and grab hold of the gunman who shot her. Jiaying kept going, and she jumped on the gunman as he rose to his feet. He was knocked to the ground and Jiaying clutched at the man's throat.

 _Crack_

Behind her Cal had raised and dropped his gunman on his knee breaking his spine.

Cal kicked the corpse and walked over to her helping her up. She wiped her sweat-covered hands off and cupped Cal's face.

"Cal, you need to find our daughter. She's in this village somewhere, don't let anything stop you."

Cal blinked and nodded. "Yes." His voice came out very deep and mangled. Without hesitation Cal broke away from her and trudged towards the nearest house.

Jiaying ripped her gaze from his retreating form and headed to the Davids house. As she heard screams coming from the house Cal entered she winced but quelled her conscience. The time had passed for moral dilemmas.

The Davids were a couple not unlike Cal and Jiaying. Mr. Davids had come over with Cal as part of Doctors Without Borders. Mrs. Davids had been a resident of this village and met Mr. Davids after a nasty accident. After their first meeting, they were practically inseperable.

Jiaying arrived at the Davids and entered without knocking. Being polite wasn't high up on goals right now.

"Who the hell are you?! Jiaying?! Are you bleeding?!" Jiaying entered the house and blinked hard adjusting her eyes to the darkness of the room.

"Where's Alex Mr. Davids?"

He was silent. "So you want that little monster."

Jiaying frowned. That didn't sound like a term of endearment.

"I don't have time for this Mr. Davids. Where is my son?"

"OH YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!?" He switched on a lamp illuminating the room. Mr. Davids looked like hell. He was surrounded by empty bottles of alcohol and had his legs propped up in casts. It didn't click with her until she saw the wheelchair on its side.

"There was a car accident. Your dumbass boy had a fever and we had to go to the next village to get medicine. That took everything from me! My wife, my unborn child, my legs! And guess what?! I crawl out of the burning car and I see that damn monster in the middle of the road; unharmed."

Jiaying grit her teeth. "Where is he Mr. Davids?"

"Where he belongs! In hell! I couldn't make him bleed out but I left him to die like the monster he is! He killed my family and destroyed my life! I had to take everything from him too. His rotting corpse is in the basement!"

Jiaying trembled with anger. He killed him? It was as if she couldn't process it. Why would anyone kill her precious son? He was barely three!

She panted as the emotions ran through her. If what he said was true..

Jiaying ran to the basement hoping against hope that he might just be alive.

Alex was lying on the floor curled up in a ball. Mr. Davids had chained him to an iron spike driven into the ground. He was covered in dirt, grime, and blood but there wasn't a wound on his body. Jiaying gasped and knelt next to her baby trembling as she laid a hand against his head.

He was so still.

Jiaying sobbed and wailed. "WHY?!" Why would anyone do this to her baby?! He never hurt anyone! Mr. Davids had gone too far.

Jiaying picked him up and shot the chain with her gun to break it. She practically crushed him in her embrace as she sobbed. He was so cold.

Jiaying ran out of the house. She needed Cal for this. Apparently he haerd her scream or was on his way to this house because he was just outside when she exited. No Daisy. Cal was covered in blood and walked up to her until he saw Alex.

"NOOOOO!" Cal registered who it was and cupped his face as Jiaying cradled him. Cal had tears streaming down his cheeks as he kissed his son on the forehead.

Cal looked at Mr. Davids house and at Jiaying as if for confirmation. Jiaying found herself nodding as she felt whatever reservations she had about violence disappear.

At some level she knew they needed to leave before more Hydra soldiers came but she wanted-no needed closure. Mr. Davids needed to pay.

Who knew how long he was down there. Suffering. All because he survived and others didn't.

Jiaying caressed his face. He was so small but bigger than he was the last time she saw him. She wondered if he had said his first word yet. Jiaying told Cal that she thought he was a late talker but Cal always joked back saying that he just didn't have anything to say.

He was a small bundle of joy when he was born. Never cried. Even that one time he stopped breathi-

She could feel it.

A second heartbeat matched hers in rythym as something tickled her hair. His breath.

"Ma-ma?" Alex uttered so softly Jiaying wouldn't have been able to hear him if she hadn't been lressing him close.

Jiaying cried more pulling him away to look at him. "Hey baby." She carressed his face and he closed his eyes seemingly melting into her warmth.

Mr. Davids screams ended and Cal walked out cleaning his hands with a rag. He looked at Jiaying's smiling face lonfused until he saw Alex moving in her arms. He gave a bellow of joy and joined them planting a kiss on Alex's face.

He crushed them both in a hug making Jiaying giggle.

He smiled and patted Alex's head. "Daddy's here."

Alex seemed to wake up a bit more and smiled leaning into Cal's hand. "Jiaying, we need to go. Once I crash I'll be out for a while so we need to be somewhere safe that Hydra can't find us."

Jiaying smiled. "We can lose them in Changsha."

Cal thought for a moment. "Changsha, Changsha; that's right! There's an airport there that opened earlier this year!"

"Why the airport?"

"Jiaying, Shield took Daisy. They're based in America. I won't-can't let them get away with Daisy." Jiaying frowned. "I'm not saying we should give up on Daisy; I would never. I'm just saying that we have to raise Alex. I'm not leaving him behind again."

"Then we have to take him. It'll be good for him. We can teach him everything he needs and more. Just, keep him away from the darker bits of our lifestyle."

Jiaying sighed. "Ten years Cal. Ten years and then I take him to my village." Ten years was a minimum figure. They were going to be looking for Daisy among Shield, the largest intelligence agency ever founded.

Cal grinned. "Let's go steal a car then."

* * *

 _Present day- Playground_

Fitz woke up at 6:30 A.M. as usual and started his routine. He would make a nutritional meal, today was oatmeal with blueberries, work out for 3 hours, practice with his bad hand for half an hour and work on his sentences for another half, work on a personal project, work on something for Coulson and then depending what time it was, help Mack out, play Halo with him, or hit the shooting range to avoid people.

He had started this routine back when Simmons left. Not only because he needed something to keep his mind off his broken heart, because it was good for him. If he ever wanted to be useful again, he needed to get better. Not just better as in his old self; better than he ever was. The next time a Ward pops up, he would be the one to put him down. He hated being treated like glass; he already knew he was useless, why throw it in his face?

That's why he needed his routine. He would destroy the old Fitz and be reborn anew. He would show them all he wasn't glass, he was... uuuh what's it? Hardest substance?

"Vibranium!"

The lab staff at the desk to the right of him all quieted and looked at him. He swallowed. Now they were making him nervous, their gazes piercing his body like needles. What? They didn't need to stare! They knew he was different!

"Hey, cut it out. He doesn't need your lab rat faces all over him." Thankfully Mack came around to knock some sense into them. Fitz would have had snapped at them otherwise. Fitz clenched his fists to try stop trembling. He hadn't even noticed he started. That was usual though; forget involuntary actions, he could barely control his own motor skills.

"Turbo." A large hand waved in front of his face. "Hey Turbo, you there?"

"Uuuhh yes, I'm here." Fitz finally responded. "Thanks Mack."

"No problem, those tech-heads gotta learn to leave you alone."

"So uuhh what are you-what are you doing here?" To anyone else it would have been rude. But with him and Mack, they could be as blunt as they wanted to without mincing words.

"Well I just wanted to give you a heads up about-"

"Fitz?"

"-that." Mack left the room quietly giving them some privacy. Fitz didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. She had been on his mind every single day. No matter how much he tried to forget or tell himself that she was bad for him and his recovery it didn't matter. She still found her way into his head.

"Simmons." He turned to her fidgeting with his hands. Damn it! Already he was regressing. He had gotten rid of fidgeting a while ago but once again Simmons proved that her presence was bad for his recovery.

"Is that you?" He had gone through a rough patch in the beginning. Talking to Simmons, or at least the part of her in his brain. It had ended up alienating him from everyone and making him look even more insane. So he had stopped. He started talking to Mack more and less to Simmons.

"Of course it is. Who else would it be?" She asked lightly.

And so he had it. There she was in the flesh. Bitterly he thought about how beautiful she had become while he wasted away. Her normally tucked away hair was free and framed her neck in a light brown. She wore an open black jacket over a gray shirt with black jeans that hugged her lithe figure quite nicely.

No wonder he couldn't get over her. He couldn't get her out of his mind. But now he was feeling self-conscious. She was beautiful and he was, quite frankly, very plain. He had switched out his jumpers for button ups and decided to grow a beard. He had yet to decide if he liked it or not. Maybe Simmons would tell him.

No! He needed to focus. He had to get over her. She didn't like him back and did the opposite of that and left entirely. She obviously didn't want to be anywhere near him.

Simmons slowly approached him. She's being safe. She thinks it'll set me off. Treating me like some kind of animal.

"How've you been?"

Such a small question but with implications and complications a mile long.

"I-I'm trying Simmons. I'm trying to get better but-"

Simmons got closer. "What?"

Fitz stared off besides her as of looking at something else. "But that. I'm sorry... I uhh I need to go."

Fitz left walking quickly out arms crossed.

Simmons sighed with moisture glistening off her eyes. "Oh Fitz..."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _ **This is probably the fastest I've ever updated a story. I can't really explain how my brain works. It just works like that. Its honestly because I've been rewatching the series and I'm into it a lot more now. Anyways I need help. With pairings and Ward. Pairings i have some idea but I want to hear some opinions. Ward is a very intricate problem. He is probably the most deep, beautifully created character I have ever seen. He makes me laugh and cry and as Kara said "I'll always be by his side." So no matter which side you guys want him on, expect him to be badass and to live. At least for a while. Please Review.**_

 _ **-Insaneauthor050701**_


	3. Hope Again

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Marvel or Agents of Shield.**_

 **Hope Again**

"Gah!" Alex grunted as he was sent to the floor by a particularly violent kick. "Yes!" Trip pumped his fist in victory. It has been about a week since Alex integrated into the team. He had met everyone and was slowly but surely getting closer to them. This meant doing things together and such. Right now, Alex was sparring with Trip in the workout room which was fairly pleasant until Trip kicked him on his ass.

"Lucky shot." Alex grunted as Trip helped him up. They both wore athletic shorts and compression pants though only Trip decided to wear the matching muscle shirt.

"What's the score now? One to five?" Alex walked back to his corner and greedily drained his water. Trip sighed as he dried his sweat-drenched face using a towel. "More like one to three. I'd never let an old man like you get that far ahead." He threw the towel to Alex who wiped his face and chest. "Hey man, nothing wrong with being old, Captain America's like 70 years old."

Trip chuckled. "You keep sayin that maybe we can go a couple rounds when you're in a wheelchair." Alex threw the towel away and stretched out a bit getting ready for their next round.

"Yeah sure, just warning you, it still won't be fair." Trip settled into his stance and slowly moved forward. "Yeah whatever old man just don't bite me with those dentures."

They both edged closer each waiting to see who would make the first move. Alex abruptly stood up. "Uuh Trip, why is Shield on breaking news?"

Trip made a confused face and turned around towards the tv mounted up on the wall. "Turn it up."

Trip cranked the volume up so they could hear it.

 _"...at a UN meeting tragedy struck as Shield attacked and killed 6 peace-loving members of UN as well as injuring dozens present."_

Alex looked at Trip. "Did we do this?" Trip shook his head. "No way, Coulson would never approve this. I think." They both went to the main hall spotting Skye heading into the Lounge room. "Skye will know where the director is."

They followed and saw her staring at the tv in shock of the news. Coulson entered shortly after and all of them surrounding him waiting for orders.

"This wasn't us right Sir?" Trip asked. Coulson frowned. "No, this is Hydra and Daniel Whitehall looking to put some more pressure on us." He walked past them and they followed.

Alex scowled. "Who's Whitehall?"

Coulson strolled over to the coffee station. "Daniel Whitehall is the head of Hydra we're fighting right now. He's a real pain in the ass."

Coulson grabbed a coffee cup off the counter. "Someone bring this from home?" He held an unassuming white cup with a grumpy cat face on it.

Alex smirked.

Coulson raised an eyebrow at them then sighed and turned pouring a cup of coffee. "Skye, Trip I want you both searching government channels, we need to know what to expect."

"And Skye, this means the alien writing-"

"Backburner. Got it."

"Just until this situation is dealt with." Alex looked around more confused than ever as his sister and Trip left. "Sir, alien writing?"

Coulson walked past him. "We'll talk about it later, go help Skye or Trip." Alex stood at the bottom of the stairs dejected.

Bobbi and Simmons skirted by him. Bobbi smiled sympathetically. "Sorry new guy. It takes a while for him to trust."

As Alex watched them walk away with frustration he scowled fiercely. "Fine. I guess I'll have to find my own entertainment."

Alex went to the search of Fitz or Mack. Those two weren't that bad. To his satisfaction they were both in the lab talking with each other.

"Hey guys."

Mack waved at him. "What's up man?"

Alex smiled bitterly and leaned up against a nearby table folding his arms. "Unfortunately nothing. Coulson told me to go twiddle my thumbs while everybody jumps into action so... I decided to find you guys- get a bit more familiar."

Fitz smiled at him. "That's uh that's good. We're good people to mmm uhh get familiar with. Besides I uhh I know what it's like to be sidelined."

Alex frowned. "Why is that? You seem pretty capable to me. I mean just because you have trouble with words doesn't mean you can't be useful."

Fitz swallowed. "It's uuh it's not just my hands. The-the-"

Mack held a hand up. "Nah Fitz let me. There was this guy from way back. Before Coulson was director, before the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. He was a member of Coulson's team and was close with the entire team. He was like a sibling to Fitz and Simmons and from what I've heard he had a close relationship with your sister."

His sister. He hadn't expected that. He scowled. "Skye?"

Mack nodded. "Ward was a good agent. One of the best and it seemed like things were going great. Then Hydra revealed itself and things got ugly. Ward's S.O. turned out to be a Hydra boss and Ward turned with him. He dropped Fitz-Simmons out of a plane and it permanently injured Fitz. The team took it very hard. Skye hates him and everyone on the team wants him dead now."

Alex nodded. "I see. Uhh Fitz listen." Fitz turned to him. "Don't think bad of me or anything for this but, I don't think Ward wanted to kill you. I know that seems horrible and insensitive for me to say but he's was a specialist. If he wanted to kill you he would've put two in your head. He probably had some faint hope that you would get out of that situation."

"I've actually done something similar before working for the U.S. government. I had to infiltrate a foreign black ops squad. I got close with a few of the guys. Then I got the kill order from my handler. I had to take out every last one of them. I had history with all of them but I also had my orders. I had to kill them to protect my country and their missions had them protecting their country.

Point is, the world isn't as black and white as you think it is."

Fitz took in his words silently and thought about them a great deal. "So where is this guy now?"

"In our basement." Fitz angrily muttered. Alex nodded. "Oh."

"You uh you guys need any help with any projects?" Alex offered trying to change the subject.

Mack shook his head. "No not really. Coulson gave us just enough so we wouldn't be bored." Alex sighed. "Alright. I guess I'll go help Trip or Skye search government channels then."

Alex left the lab and headed to his room. He closed the door and grabbed his laptop. "Time to show them where Skye gets it from." He entered the digital interface of the base and started looking. There you are. There was an unlabeled vault with a constant leech on the power lines. He hacked into the cameras to get an inside view.

 _"We need to talk about your brother."_ Alex furrowed his brows. So they use Ward for information.

 _"Which one?"_

 _"The older one-the senator."_

 _Ward breathed out. "Christian." He took a few steps back trying to distance himself. "Why? What happened?"_

 _Skye ignored him. "Just need basic information- habits, places he frequents. Stuff like that."_

 _"You need to stay away from him. He's not what he seems. He always has an angle. And if he thinks you can lead him to me-"_

 _"This isn't about you."_

 _"Isn't it? Don't you remember what happened at the well? What he made me do? He gets joy from one thing- hurting people."_

 _"So tell me, please. Does he know I'm here?"_

 _Skye shook her head. "Not how it works Ward. You answer my questions not the other way around."_ Damn Sis. That was cold.

 _"And I always do. I always tell the truth."_

 _"But if Christian knows I'm here-"_

 _"You always tell me the truth?"_

 _"Yes." Skye scoffed in disbelief. "I promised that I would never lie to you again. And I haven't."_

 _Ward seemed to realise something. "What's this... really about?"_

 _"I need information about your brother- people, connections-"_

 _"Is this about your father? Cause I was never lying to you about him. He's alive and he's looking for you. I can help you-"_

 _Their coversation was cut off as Coulson entered the room by sealing Ward off._

 _Skye spun towards Coulson. "He didn't give us what we needed on his brother."_

 _"Trust me. He gave us more than you know. And you're slipping off track Skye. Stay on-mission."_

 _Coulson left the room and Skye followed shortly after._

Alex closed his laptop. Damn. But what does that mean? He... gave us more than you know. He always has angle. If he knows I'm-

They're gonna trade Ward away to Christian in return for protection. They're sending him to die. I don't blame them but... I might have a use for Ward.

* * *

An hour later Playground systems had Coulson leaving the base for Christian; presumably to set up the Ward deal. That's when Alex made his move. He hacked into Ward's vault systems and cut the feed from the cameras before going down to meet him.

"Oh man. Two visits in one day." Wards said and then looked at Alex who was coming down the stairs. "Who are you?" Alex kept silent and went over to the chair making himself comfortable. "Tell me about yourself."

Ward cocked an eyebrow. "What? Who are you?"

Alex sighed. "I'm the one who can get you out of here. I'm the one who can give you what you want."

Ward looked at him in the eyes. "How can you do this? And how would you know what I want?"

Alex shrugged. "I can help you. And as for what you want; that's easy. You still love Skye."

Ward shook his head. "Skye hates me. She's disgusted and revolted by what I am."

"That's because she doesn't understand. She can't even comprehend how you could do the things you did so it makes her hate you more. I understand. I've been in a similar situation."

Ward gritted his teeth. "I highly doubt that."

Alex shrugged. "That's okay. Just tell me about yourself. There may be a chance for you to reunite with Skye... and for her to not hate you."

Ward sighed and with hesitation began his story.

Alex listened and soon understood what it was like to be Ward. He hadn't chosen to be the way he was. Of course he wasn't without responsibility. He had equal potential to be good or bad. Alex was giving him a chance to tip it the other way.

Ward finished and looked at Alex waiting to hear judgement or anger coming from him.

"I-uh I understand." He finally said. "I've been used before. Much like you were. I had to commit unspeakable acts as even a teenager. All to appease my 'master.' It took a long time to realize that I had been used and to figure out my own goals and become my own person. I'd like to help you with that as well as to help you gain trust with your team again."

Ward stared for a long time. "Why would you help me so much? What's your angle?"

Alex shook his head. "No devious plans or anything. It's just; there's a storm coming. I need you to protect Skye when that happens cause I might not gonna be around."

"What do you need me to do?" Alex smiled. "Right now? Nothing. But later Coulson's going to make a deal to trade you to your brother in return for lightening the manhunt for S.H.I.E.L.D."

Ward nodded solemnly. "It's a smart play. I mean I don't like being treated like that but if it keeps the team safe..."

Alex smiled. "There's hope for you yet. I need you to wait until you're in Christian's custody and then escape."

Ward shrugged. "I could do that."

"Without killing anyone." Ward winced. "That's lot harder."

"It's your first step to redemption. You need to prove you're a changed man. That means no more killing or unnecessary violence."

"How long can you hold your breath?"

"How long do I need to?"

"About two minutes."

Ward nodded. "I can do that. "

"Good then take this." Alex stood and kneeled by the barrier. He produced 5 small spheres from his pocket and passed them through. Ward picked them up. "What am I supposed to do with these?"

Alex smiled. "Ye of little faith. They're miniature gas bombs. I used the same dendrotoxin from the Icers but a higher concentration. Hide them in your mouth and when you're inside their truck spit them out and they will immediately gas the truck on contact. They should be out immediately but hold your breath for two minutes for the gas to dissipate. Then go to Plumlee hill road 1204. Tell the nice couple there that 'Johnson is a family name.' They'll give you what you need. Stay out of sight until I contact you."

"Thank you for this. This second chance you've given me-I won't waste it."

Alex nodded. "Don't let it go to waste. I have to go now, Coulson will be back soon." Alex walked towards the stairs.

"Wait." Alex turned around. "Who are you?" Alex smiled. "I'm uh I'm Skye's brother. Make sure you mention me when you talk to her. Might give you some more credibility."

* * *

Ward stood up as someone entered the room and walked down the stairs. "You're back. Cameras off. Does Coulson know-"

"Coulson's out." Skye interrupted as she came into his view.

"Is Coulson talking to Christian?" Skye nodded. "He needs to be careful. Christian will smile, bare his soul do anything to make you believe him. You'll say hi and he'll already have fifteen or twenty different endings to the conversation in his head. He is a master at manipulating people. I-I know what I am. I know what I did more than anyone."

He looked Skye in the eyes. "He is worse."

"I've been honest this whole time. Why would I lie now? I never lied about your father."

Skye nodded. "I know. And I want to know everything."

"Your Father is a very passionate man. Those people in the Hunan village weren't civilians. They were Hydra agents that killed your mother. He cracked. He killed everyone in the village and lost you in the chaos. There were only two survivors that day."

Skye looked at him confused. "Two?"

Ward smiled. "You and your brother."

Skye frowned. "Why would you not mention this earlier?"

Ward smiled bitterly. "Because I didn't know. He visited me earlier. I was actually afraid of telling you about it because I knew that's when you would realize."

"What do you mean? Realize what?"

Ward shrugged. "I don't know anything important about your father. My only concrete lead to him was Raina. If I was let out I could find him for you- but we all know that's not gonna happen."

"I guess it's time we get you out of here." Ward cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really. You're being transferred. Your brother wants you in his custody. And we're gonna give him exactly that."

Ward's face fell. Skye left and walked up the stairs. Coulson came down and sat in the chair. Ward sighed. "It's been a long ride Coulson."

"Three and a half weeks." Ward looked at him. "I sat in this chair for three and a half weeks evedy day and you never said anything. Now you want to talk? It's too late. We kept you for information of use. Now you're brother is of more use."

Ward nodded. "It's a smart play. I'm surprised by it. I once called you weak-willed." Ward smiled and shook his head. "I mistaked your sentiment, your value for human life and... feelings as a weakness. I think I hated you for a while because of it. Whenever a hard call appeared, you always ignored it, and did what was right and somehow it all ended up okay. It made me think that maybe, one of those hard calls I made could've been avoided if I did something different."

Ward stood. "Point is, my time in here has made me appreciate what we had. Fitz's pranks, drunk Simmons after every mission. Skye's..." He struggled to find a word. "Sky-ness." He smiled. "All the things that made our team our team. And I killed it." He frowned. "That's what I hate more than anything. Not Garrett. Not killing S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Not..." His voice became thick. "Not dropping Fitz-Simmons out of the Bus. It was ripping our team apart. I'll regret that for the rest of my possibly short life."

Coulson stood. "There's nothing you can say that makes any of it better."

"I know."

* * *

 _The Lounge_

"So why is Skye down there?" Alex asked. "She's seeing if Ward knows anything else.

The monitors came on as Coulson entered the vault.

 _Ward sighed. "It's been a long ride Coulson."_

 _"Three and a half weeks." Ward looked at him. "I sat in this chair for three and a half weeks evedy day and you never said anything. Now you want to talk? It's too late. We kept you for information of use. Now you're brother is of more use."_

 _Ward nodded. "It's a smart play. I'm surprised by it. I once called you weak-willed." Ward smiled and shook his head. "I mistaked your sentiment, your value for human life and... feelings as a weakness. I think I hated you for a while because of it. Whenever a hard call appeared, you always ignored it, and did what was right and somehow it all ended up okay. It made me think that maybe, one of those hard calls I made could've been avoided if I did something different."_

Skye stormed in the lounge and stomped over to Alex glaring at him. "You spoke to Ward."

Alex stayed impassive as everyone looked at him in distrust. "Ok. In my defense, Coulson basically told me to screw off."

"So you talked to Ward?!"

"He's not the devil guys. He is a man who's been used since he was a boy and doesn't know anything else."

Skye spluttered. "You're on his side?"

"I'm on no one's side. It just seems like you're beating up a man who already knows he's at fault."

 _Ward stood. "Point is, my time in here has made me appreciate what we had. Fitz's pranks, drunk Simmons after every mission. Skye's..." He struggled to find a word. "Sky-ness." He smiled. "All the things that made our team our team. And I killed it." He frowned. "That's what I hate more than anything. Not Garrett. Not killing S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Not..." His voice became thick. "Not dropping Fitz-Simmons out of the Bus. It was ripping our team apart. I'll regret that for the rest of my possibly short life."_

 _Coulson stood. "There's nothing you can say that makes any of it better."_

 _"I know."_

Coulson made a signal and men came forward to handcuff Ward. They took him upstairs to the main hallway. His long walk seemed to take forever as he felt the stares from everyone. Trip's glare constantly following him. Fitz's haunting, empty expression as he looked at him. He looked up at Skye and his words got stuck in his throat as he saw her expressionless face. It was almost funny as Simmons threatened him. The doctor. Simmons threatening him. Then it hit him that it was his fault they had all changed like this. His decision affected all of them.

He was thinking it over in his head. Whether or not he should go through with the plan. Surely their lives would be better with him dead.

Then he saw Alex at the end of the hallway standing at the side. He gave him a smile and waved but not in a mocking way it was more genuine than that. Alex was counting on him. He couldn't let him down- not like the others.

Then Ward's vision went dark as the bag was shoved over his head.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_** ** _Really disappointed with this chapter with how it turned out and how short it was. I wanted to get it out fast and I couldn't find an easy way to work Alex into this episode. Next chapter should be a lot better and will have less Ward which I know was weird becasue the chapter seemed to focus on him a lot. The only reason ward finds any kind of solace in Alex is because hes giving him a chance. Alex is giving him a chance mostly because he can use him and partly because ward reminds him of himself a bit._**

 ** _-Insaneauthor050701_**


End file.
